Sils Jackson and Corpse Breath
by nightheartbattles
Summary: Meet Silena Annabeth Jackson - the second child of Poseidon to be born since the oath was made (beside any Cyclopes). Follow her journey as she battles Laistrygonians, becomes not-mortal, meets a certain Corpse Breath, and travels to a place no one would dare to go - all to save her brothers. An unlikely friendship occurs, allowing a little bit of hope to enter her life.
1. My Piano Teacher is a Sextuplet

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I SWEAR ON THE RIVER STYX THAT I DO NOT OWN:**

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS

HEROES OF OLYMPUS

**OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS**

**Rick Riordan does. Sadly.**

* * *

**MY PIANO TEACHER IS A SEXTUPLET**

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. Actually, I must admit, sometimes it's pretty cool. But most of the time it gets you killed in extremely painful ways. It's not my fault I'm a half blood. It's not like I chose it. Before I was born, I didn't pray that I would be half-human, half- something else. Sorry. My brother is yelling at me. He says for this writing to be any good I have to let you find out at the same time I do in this journal-thing.

I used to go to Yancy Academy for troubled kids. Am I a troubled kid? You could say that. Before I go into full detail, I'll start with something simple.

My name is Sils Jackson. You've probably heard of my brother. My brother is yelling at me again. He says that, one, of course you've heard of him, and two, telling you that totally gave everything away. I don't really care. You'll find out anyway.

My life was pretty miserable. To cut a long story short: when I was four, my mother died in some freak accident. I lived in eight foster homes in one year, then another six in the second year. Just after my sixth birthday, a family friend came to my foster home with a lawyer saying that she was my legal guardian. I didn't mind. It wasn't as though I liked my foster homes. When I was eleven, I got kicked out of my tenth school in four years - breaking my brother's record of six in six years. That was Yancy. My new mom decided to home-school me. My brothers were glad to help when they weren't at school. That meant that school for me was between 4:15 and 9:45 pm. Late, I know. But still cool.

My mom and brothers decided to teach me things that they thought were important. That meant I learnt a lot about Greek mythology, Roman mythology, both Ancient Greek language and Latin, along with learning how to swim. I even had a whole week's worth of school just on sword-fighting, archery, and using a knife. That was awesome. Now, I go to the same school my eldest brother went to - Goode High School. My mom's husband teaches there. Now you're all caught up, I should begin with the day my piano teacher blew up.

* * *

"Have you got your music?" my mom asked.

"Yes, Mom," I replied.

"Have you got your raincoat?" the younger of my elder brothers, Tyson, asked.

"Yes, Tyson" I replied.

My elder brother walked outside, cursing at the sky. I looked at him oddly, but my mom just shook her head.

I followed him.

"Have you got your knife?" he whispered to me.

I showed him the secret pocket in the sleeve of my jersey and whispered back, "Yes, Percy."

"That's my girl!" he said, flicking my ponytail and grinning down at me.

I grinned back.

"Right, in the car!"

I clambered in the front seat, Percy and Tyson groaning as they climbed in the back.

"First in, first served!" I grinned cheekily at them. Percy stuck his tongue out at me. I stuck mine out back. Percy just laughed.

We drove the half-hour drive in silence. I knew what Percy was thinking. Every time he went quiet, I knew he was thinking about his girlfriend, Annabeth. That's my middle name. Percy named me. Before you ask, I wasn't named as a kid. My first mom called me Girly, so that's what all my foster parents and siblings called me. It sucked. Anyone who knows me could tell you I am a boy in everything but reality. My personality, my hobbies... Everything. I only did piano because it calmed me down to hear the music. I loved playing it, and I could tell it calmed Percy down, too. He wasn't such a bad singer, so sometimes he'd sing along to whatever I was playing - if it was tat kind of song. But I preferred playing classical music. Percy thought I was nuts. He still does, I think.

We arrived at my piano teacher's house, just on time for the lesson. I was surprised we weren't late, given the traffic. I stepped out of the car, waved goodbye, and walked backwards up the driveway. I saw Tyson whisper something to Percy. Percy frowned. That should have been my first clue.

As soon as I stepped foot into the house, I could tell something was wrong. The place didn't feel right. I tried to ignore it; it had always felt like that. Looking back, I should have listened to the small part of my brain yelling at me, "RUN!"

Instead, I walked through the house to the practice room.

"Ah, hello!" My piano teacher smiled at me, but it seemed kind of off. Again, I ignored it; he looked no different than he ever had. That was my third clue. I should have run. But, like the idiot I was, I stayed where I was.

"Let's see that piece I taught you last time," my teacher, Mr Saor, said.

I played it for him. Considering I hadn't practiced, I'd played it pretty well.

"Well done," Mr Saor told me. He was quiet for about three minutes. I sat there, doing nothing, as every nerve in my body was telling me to run. I ignored it, but I scratched at the arm with my knife, reminding myself I wasn't unarmed.

After another two minutes, Mr Saor looked at me abruptly and said, "You know, your brother caused me quite a lot of trouble a couple of years ago."

That struck me as strange. My brothers had never met this guy.

"Yes, he played a rather nasty prank on me and my crew."

I began nervously undoing the pocket on my sleeve. It was only velcro, but I didn't really want rip it fast. That would alert him instantly.

He looked at me, and began to glow. Really brightly. I stood up and looked aware, quickly ripping the rest of the velcro, and pulling out my little bronze knife.

I looked back, and he was still sitting there, but he wasn't quite... him. Well, he was. Only about three times bigger.

"You're a... a..." I stuttered.

"What? Chimera got your tongue?"

I stared, knife in hand, at this... giant. "W-what do you want?" I stammered.

He stared at me like I was crazy. "You. We want you."

Who's we?

Just as I thought that, five more giants walked through the house wall. My ex-piano teacher yelled at them.

"What? Not again!" he whined. "How many times do I have to tell you not to ruin my house?! I don't have insurance!"

I was about to tell him that that was pretty stupid, but I thought better of it.

"W-what..."

"You know what we want. We would eat you, but we're under direct orders to keep you alive."

"But, who..."

"SILENA!"

If my life was strange before, it exploded with insanity.

I glanced around and saw Percy. It was odd. I'd never thought I'd see him in a dress again. A nagging voice in the back of my brain said, _It's a toga, you idiot._

I rolled my eyes at myself. He had a sword in his hand. It was the same sword we'd always used for training. His green eyes glinted in the sunlight - the same as mine would be if I was outside - and not as terrified.

Following him was Tyson. Well, it was Tyson, but I's never seen him like that before. He was at least 9 feet tall - as tall as the giants glaring at me. I didn't expect that. His eyes locked mine - or, should I say, eye. I'd always know he was a Cyclops. I guess I should have known something was up with my crazy family.

Percy was screaming at me, telling me to run. Before I did, I had a crazy thought. I moved to the side, automatically lining up three of the giants.

"Stop moving, annoying little girl!"

"We must complete our orders!"

I pulled my arm back, and threw. My bronze knife sailed through the air. It passed through the first giant's chest. Then the second. Then the third. Then something happened that surprised me - though I'd seen so much I didn't think that was possible. All three giants disintegrated. Just like that. It was like sand blown through a fan. They were gone.

Percy was looking at me in shock. I didn't get it. He'd done stuff like that before. I mean, he defeated Kronos, the most evil Titan of all time! And a hydra! And a god! Ares, to be specific. My achievement wasn't that great compared to all of his. He was so shocked he didn't notice one of the giants sneaking up behind him. I grabbed a fallen bow and arrow and shot. I couldn't believe it when I hit my target. The arrow past straight through the giant's chest and out the other side. Honestly, that was scarier than the knife thing. I'd known I was good with a knife. And a sword. But seriously? A bow and arrow too?

The ground shook. A fissure opened up - right by where Percy and Tyson were standing. Well, Tyson was fighting, but still.

I screamed.

"PERCY!" I yelled. He looked around wildly, trying to see what was going on. Too late. He fell straight through the fissure. Tyson caught his arm. It was no use. Percy just pulled Tyson down too. I grabbed Tyson with my free arm - the other was holding my knife, though I didn't understand how, as I'd thrown it away.

"Sils! You have to let go!" Percy yelled.

"No!" I cried. "I can't just let you fall!"

"Look, Sils," Percy reasoned. "You're holding us now, but soon enough we're going to drag you in with us!"

I was crying now. The two giants that Tyson had knocked out were coming round.

"You need to get to camp, and tell everyone what happened. Now, please, you falling. LET GO!"

So I did.

As my two favourite people in the world plunged to their doom, I heard Percy call, "Tell Annabeth I love her! Tell her I'm sorry!"

That did nothing to help my emotions. Luckily for me, I had ADHD, so even with everything that was going on, I had enough strength to keep fighting.

I had just watched both of my brothers fall to their deaths. I was angry. No, I wasn't just angry. I was furious.

"Hey, stupids! Yeah, you, no brains!" I shouted, hoping to get their attention. Unfortunately for me, it worked.

Both giants lifted their heads and glared at me. I lifted my knife and chucked it again. The first monster disintegrated. I picked up the bow and arrow and let it fly at the second monster, shooting him straight in the eye. Finally, the monsters were dead. I looked at the now-closed fissure in the middle of the floor, and did the logical thing. I put my head in my hands and cried.


	2. No-Pants Grover Appears at my Door

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I SWEAR ON THE RIVER STYX THAT I DO NOT OWN:**

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS

HEROES OF OLYMPUS

**OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS**

**Rick Riordan does. Sadly.**

* * *

**NO-PANTS GROVER APPEARS AT MY DOOR**

I knew I had to get out of there - fast. The whole house was crumbling; the ceiling was collapsing around me. I collected my knife, slipping it back into its pocket, and picked up the bow and its three arrows. I ran towards the wall, kicking off it and jumping into the air. I twisted mid-air, grabbing hold of a rafter with my spare hand. I swung myself onto the roof. I glanced around wildly, making sure there were no more monsters hiding, before jumping off the roof. I know what you're thinking. What was I thinking, jumping off a building? But I knew I could do it. Actually, I lied. I didn't think I could at all. Somehow I did. I landed in the swimming pool with a splash. Great, I thought. I'll have to walk home in soaking clothes. I shouldn't have worried. As I climbed out of the pool, I noticed I was dry. Wow, I thought. This is not normal. This is not normal!

I glanced back at the demolished house. I was going to go back near the to see if I could find my piano book. I thought better of it. I'd come close to being a fugitive before - most times relating to getting kicked out of school - blowing up a school bus, flooding the school hall, setting fire to the Principal's office... You get the picture. I know Percy was a fugitive once. I didn't bother asking what he'd done. Anyway, I didn't feel like following in his footsteps.

I ran home as fast as I could, crying as I ran. I pulled my knife out of its pocket after the first five steps; I felt safer with it in my hand. I wondered what my neighbors could see. I knew all about the Mist - I was one of the few mortals that could see through it - my mom was another. I knew I had a Cyclops for a brother. I knew when my adoptive brother, Nico, was holding his sword.

Yes, I have a large family. Percy and Tyson are half-brothers. My mom knew my dad, apparently, so I was adopted into the family. Thalia and Nico were adopted too, after the Titan war. Nico and Thalia are Percy's cousins. Thalia has a brother, but he's lived with his girlfriend since the Titan war. Thalia and Nico aren't always around - most of the year they're away, to one place or another. I wouldn't know where they went. I just know they're like Percy - very good with weapons, and prone to attracting monsters.

* * *

I sprinted to our house, not bothering to take the lift to our very large apartment. I burst through the door, crying. Before I had the chance to do anything, Nico and Thalia were at my side, trying to comfort me. I think my mom heard me, as she was suddenly there too. My adoptive dad, Percy's stepdad, Paul, walked in after her. He stood there, watching me, with a concerned look on his face. I continued to cry.

"Sils, where's Seaweed Brain?" Thalia asked kindly. I'd never understood why she called him that. All I knew was that it was okay for Annabeth to say it, but if Thalia said it, both Percy and Annabeth would threateningly study their weapons closely.

I knew I had to tell them. Percy and Tyson were gone, and it was my fault. I owed them that much. I told them everything, from Percy checking for my knife, to running home. They glanced at each other when I mentioned staying dry. Their emotions seemed to turn from concern to despair as I explained my brothers' predicament. As I explained this, I fell to the floor crying, knowing it was all my fault. Once I had finished the story, Nico and Paul stayed with me while my mom and Thalia searched for drachmas to contact camp. I didn't know where they meant when they talked about camp, but I assumed it was the same place Percy went for the summer. I guessed it was some kind of army or battle camp, as Percy always came home with more scars and bruises than he had when he left.

All of a sudden, we heard a scream. We glanced at each other. We all knew who that scream belonged to. Nico, Paul and I ran into the dining room to see two leathery-winged creatures flying out the window. One was holding Thalia. The other was holding my mom. I guessed it mustn't have been an easy task for the creature carrying Thalia. She was kicking, screaming and biting the creature, cussing and cursing in Latin the whole time.

"Vade ad Tartara, stolidi animal!" she yelled. I wondered why she spoke Latin. She was half Greek. Wasn't she? I didn't know how I knew that, but I didn't bother asking. I'd find out later.

Thalia yelled again. "Erre es korrakas!" she cried. "Pi̱gaínete sta Tártara, i̱líthio plásma!"

I was so shocked I didn't register that she'd just spoken in Greek and I somehow knew what it meant. I was astonished by her knowledge (and use of) curses in Greek. She certainly had a set of lungs.

Nico, Paul and I watched, helpless, as the bat-like... things flew away with two of our favorite girls.

I dropped to the floor, crying. This time, I was sure it was my fault. I had lost two of my brothers, and my only sister. Oh yeah, and my mom had be carried away too! This was the worst day ever.

To top things off, the weather was raging outside. I stared at the sky. "SHUT UP, ZEUS!" Nico yelled to the ceiling. "CALM DOWN!" This only made the thunderstorm louder and seemingly angrier. I suppressed a laugh before frowning at myself. I shouldn't have be laughing. I shouldn't have even been mildly happy. Two-thirds of my family was gone. One third of that was dead. The other third was kidnapped. Surely this day couldn't get any worse. I didn't know how wrong I was.

We waited for about two hours before anything happened. And what happened was not what I was expecting.

There was a loud, frantic knock on the door. Nico jumped to his feet, and sprinted to the door. He wrenched it open, and an old friend, Grover, walked in. Except, he wasn't exactly Grover.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" He yelled above the thunder. "What have you gotten yourself into?!" He was freaking out. Actually, so was I. I wasn't quite sure what I was seeing. I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Because Grover wasn't wearing any pants. And where is legs should be... where his legs should be...

I was too shocked to realize he was cursing in Ancient Greek. Then again, can you blame me?

Grover was talking frantically to Paul. I kinda could hear what they were saying - but only kinda, because my brain was still trying to figure out what I was seeing. Nico was watching me worriedly. I guess I wasn't doing too well at hiding how much I was freaking out.

"Come on," he eventually said to me, grabbing my wrist. "Get in the car."

I was still sorta freaking out as we ran to the car. Because Grover wasn't wearing any pants. Or shoes. And where his feet should have been... there were cloven hooves.


	3. The Rise of the Bulletproof Lions

THE RISE OF THE BULLETPROOF LIONS

Grover was driving. It was a good thing, too. I'd seen Nico practicing. So far, he'd destroyed a barn and about seven fences. I thought he should at least know the basics, what with going on road trips with Thalia all the time. I mean, I knew that, and I never went anywhere. And I was twelve. But that's beside the point. Sorry for getting carried away. Stupid ADHD. I forget my train of quite easily and head down another path. Sorry! I did it again! Anyway.

We drove for a while. And when I say a while, I mean a while. We live in Manhattan. We drove all the way out to Long Island Sound. And that's a while. I get fidgety in car rides. So does Percy. So does Thalia. And so does Nico. And trust me, two fidgety kids in same car does not equal a peaceful drive. I guess it's the ADHD. Nico, Thalia and Percy are related, so I guess they get it from their grandparents or something. Apparently my dad had it. So, my mom looks after a group of ADHD kids. Plus Tyson. Nt an easy group of kids to look after. None of us were easy kids. Sometimes I felts sorry for my mom. And I'm getting off track again. And I'm gonna blame it on the ADHD again. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I hate knowing I'm technically a mental-case kid - ADHD and dyslexia. It makes me feel better knowing the rest of my family's the same.

So we were driving to Long Island sound. Except driving through towns and cities, we hardly encountered any other cars. It was strange. Every so often I'd see something fly swiftly past our window, or run through the trees, or I'd hear a sound like something was running through the trees. But it was always gone when I looked back.

Nico seemed to be freaking out a little. I think he knew where we were going. I also think he could see and hear the things I was seeing and hearing. On the up side, at least that meant I wasn't crazy. On the down side, it meant that things were definitely following us. Grover really put his foot down on the accelerator. I think he knew that creatures were following us too. That frightened me a little. And by a little, I really meant a lot. We drove further towards the sound. It was scary, thinking we were so close to our destination, but I could sense from Grover that he thought it unlikely we'd make it there without casualties.

All of a sudden, our car exploded. Literally. The whole vehicle was blown apart. I was thrown twenty feet into the air before landing on a very surprised Nico. He was breathing, which was good. And he was conscious, which was also good. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Grover.

I looked around to see what had caused the explosion. Huddled by a tree, I saw another goat-person standing protectively in front of two other children, both about my age. One was wearing typical Nico fashion, black trousers with a black shirt with a black jacket with black shoes. The other had light brown hair and shocking blue eyes. I don't know how, but I knew instinctively that she had caused the explosion. Another younger girl peeked around the others. She had blonde hair, and was wearing black jeans and a navy-blue cotton shirt. She was clutching the boy's hand. I wondered if he was her brother, then cursed myself for letting myself lose focus.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" I muttered.

The boy stepped forwards, much to the others' disgust.

"You speak Greek?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded.

"Us too," he said, motioning to his friends. "Sorry about the car," he winced. "Winter got a little freaked out."

"It's okay," I said.

"You brought you here?"

"Them," I replied, pointing over to where Nico was trying to revive Grover. "Grover and Nico."

"Hey, is your satyr okay?"

"He'd better be," I growled. "Percy'll -" I choked up.

"You'd better get into Camp."

I nodded.  
"Nico! We're heading in!"

Apparently, that wasn't the plan. A large lion, about the size of a Hummer, leaped out of the trees, roaring at us.

The girls screamed. The boy and I shared a quick glance before pulling out our weapons.

We stabbed and shot and swung, but everything just glanced off the lion's fur like it was bulletproof. It probably was. Just then, I remembered. Percy had fought this...this...thing. The fur was bulletproof. It was the Nemean Lion.

"You know what this is?" I yelled.

The boy shook his head.

"It's the Nemean Lion!"

His eyes widened. "We have to shoot it in the mouth! We won't kill it otherwise!"

I nodded. The lion roared. It obviously didn't like the word 'kill.'

I decided what I was going to do.

"Get into the trees!" I yelled.

"Why?"

"Just do it! I have a plan!" I shouted.

The boy motioned to his friends and the three of them climbed into the nearest tree.

I led the lion over there. I jumped, using a branch to swing myself straight over the lion's head. I hoped the others understood my plan. Otherwise, I was lion food.

They did. Just as I was straight over the lion's mouth, the girls shot at it with arrows, while the boy threw his sword, all weapons missing me by mere millimetres. I dropped my knife, too. I was lucky my plan worked. As I was falling towards the lion's open mouth, it disintegrated, allowing me to drop straight to the ground.

We group hi-fived. Of course that jinxed it.

The ground began shaking. I felt the colour drain from my cheeks. I saw the boy watching me worriedly. I saw the ground split. I saw his eyes wide. I saw Nico look up from Grover. And I saw him fall in. screamed.

"NO! NO! NO!" I cried. "THIS CAN"T BE HAPPENING! NOOOOOOOOO!"

I ran forward and grabbed his hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other satyr fall in too. I saw the boy grab is wrist. The satyr was shaking his head. I knew he was telling the boy exactly what Percy told me - it was no use holding on. Then no one would survive to tell the tale. Nico was telling me the same thing - but with a different way of explaining things.

"Look, Sils," he began. "Don't worry about me. If I survive the fall, I promise I will find Perce and Tyson, and we will make it out. I promise you this. Believe me?"

I nodded, my vision blurred by tears.

"Good girl. I love you. If I don't live, I'm sure I can persuade my dad to get Perce, Tyson and I a spot in Elysium, okay?"

I nodded again.

"Okay. You're going to have to let go, or you'll fall in. Promise me you'll work with my little bro and sis?"

I nodded, realising who he meant.

"And your cousins, I guess they are. And all your other cousins and family members. Promise me that. Please?"

I nodded again, and let go.

"Talk to Chiron. He'll explain!"

I sat there crying until the boy pointed out that the fissure was growing, and we should move, and fast. I hauled Grover over my shoulder, and jumped over the fissure before it became too wide t cross. It wouldn't have mattered though. The fissure began closing before we'd even reached the other side. I screamed and cried again.

"NICO!" I yelled. "No, no, no! Nico!" I couldn't stop crying, and would have gladly sat down until my eyes ran dry, but right at that moment, the girls decided to collapse. I picked up the one with electric blue eyes and threw her over my other shoulder. The boy picked up his little sister.

Together, almost collapsing as well from the exhaustion and grief, we struggled towards the pine tree they had been standing by when I arrived.

I was still crying, calling for my mom, for Thalia, for Percy and Tyson, and for Nico. The boy wasn't much better. He had obviously gotten very close to his satyr friend - like Percy and Grover.

We past the boundary line and immediately collapsed, dropping our passengers.

The last thing I remember is looking up and seeing a horse with a human face and a girl with blonde hair like a princess's.

"Is it them?" she whispered. "Is it really them?"

"Quiet, Annabeth," the horse said. "Let them rest."


	4. Telepathic? No Way!

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I SWEAR ON THE RIVER STYX THAT I DO NOT OWN:**

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS

HEROES OF OLYMPUS

**OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS**

**Rick Riordan does. Sadly.**

* * *

I woke up a few times, but always eventually passed out again. Every so often, I'd look around in the few seconds I was awake, but what I saw didn't make any sense, so I passed out every time. I had a problem though - my dreams made more sense that what I saw when I was awake.

I was running along an empty road. I wasn't running for pleasure, though. Every so often, I looked behind me, and the first thing I saw was a ginormous golden lion. Behind him, there were two giants, one with green hair and one with purple. They had dreadlocks, braided with strange things like bones and gold coins the size of Girl Scout cookies. Behind them, there was a small army of humanoid things with six arms each. They were picking large mounds of rock and dirt and concrete and throwing them in my direction. Following the six-armed humanoids was the band of giants that attacked me and my brothers. There were about twelve bands of those creatures. All in all, I was being chased by a formidable army.

I heard a noise beside me. I whipped my head around, only to see a familiar face. I breathed a sigh of relief. I recognized his black hair, dark eyes and pale face, as if he had never seen the sun - which was mostly true. For the first seventy-something years of his life, he'd been trapped in a hotel, never going outside.

"You all good, Sils?" he asked, laughing. That was Nico. Not afraid, confident he could win it all.

Too quickly to stop, a crack opened in the middle of the road, pulling Nico down into it. Suddenly, everyone I knew and loved was there. My mom fell in. Thalia fell in. Tyson fell in. Grover fell in. Percy fell in. Another satyr fell in. Annabeth fell in. The girl with blue eyes fell in. The little sister fell in. The boy fell in. The fissure closed. I was left alone, crying, waiting for the army to catch up.

A large face with yellow teeth grinned an evil grin at me. I screamed, jolting myself awake as his foot came down on my chest.

* * *

"Are you alright?" the princess was looking down at me.

I nodded, not confident to do anything else.

"Where..." I began.

"You are at Camp Half-Blood," the princess said kindly, smiling at me. I realised who it was. It was Annabeth.

"Silena," the boy began. I noticed three other beds to my right. Two were empty. He was in the bed directly next to mine.

"Hush," Annabeth told him. He nodded. I understood why. No one, not even Percy, dared to contradict this girl.

"Now, Silena," Annabeth began. "You are not a clear-sighted mortal."

"But -"

"You are a demigod," Annabeth finished.

"Oh, oka- Wait, what?"

"You are the child of one of the Greek gods. Maybe one of the Olympians, maybe Hades or Hestia, or maybe one of the minor gods. We suspect one of the major gods however."

"Really?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded.

"So, I'm, like, half-god?"

"Yes," Annabeth told me. "So was Percy, Thalia and Nico, and so am I."

"Really?"

Annabeth nodded again. "Yes."

"If they were demigods, how come they couldn't stay alive?"

Annabeth bowed her head sadly before answering. "Some forces are stronger than demigods. Some are even stronger than the gods."

I was surprised. I hadn't actually expected her to answered. I'd sort of said as more of a rhetorical question. It was only when I thought of questions when I realised the most logical question to ask.

I turned to the boy and said, "Who are you?"

"Courage," he answered. "My sister's name is Honor. The girl with us is Ariadne."

"Like the mortal who help Theseus."

"Yeah."

"So," I began, my voice now directed at Annabeth. "Who are our parents?"

Annabeth answered, "We're not sure. For the moment, you, Courage and Honor are undetermined. Ariadne's father is Zeus, Lord of the Sky."

Courage seemed to already know this.

I wasn't thinking about the gods, or being a demigod, or who my parent might be, though. Curse my ADHD, I was wondering what sort of name Courage was. I mean, Honor sounds normal, like a name you wouldn't be surprised to hear. But Courage? Not the sort of name you can name a kid and expect them not to be teased. Especially if they aren't incredibly brave.

Courage seemed to guess what I was thinking.

"My mom named me that because she hoped it would mean I'd grow up to be brave; to have courage. The same with Honor."

How did he do that?

_I don't know, _said a voice in my head.

_Wait, what's going on?_

_Again, I have no idea._

"What are you two doing?" Annabeth asked worriedly.

"We don't know," we said - in perfect sync.

We looked at each other with wide eyes.

_What_ are _we doing?_ he asked.

_I don't know, but it's scaring me_, I replied

_We should ask. Maybe Chiron will know._

_Chiron?_ I asked.

_The activities director - he's the only sane centaur to ever live, apparently_.

Apparently Annabeth had the same idea. "We need to talk to Chiron," she said. "You okay to walk?" she asked me.

"I - I think so," I replied.

Turned out, I needed a bit of help to stay upright. Courage took my right arm, and Annabeth took my left.

Together we walked out of the hospital-place and onto a balcony.

I couldn't help but gasp.

The place was amazing. Rolling hills, a large, vast forest, and a strawberry patch were the things that caught my eyes first. Then my gaze rested on the pine tree that Courage, Honor and Ariadne were sheltering under when Ariadne blasted our car. That looked beautiful. I knew the story. The tree was once a girl. She was dying, and her dad, Zeus, turned her into a tree to save her. That was when she was twelve. Five years later, she looked like a fourteen-year-old, when three children revived her tree after someone had poisoned it. The girl was revived too, but the tree still stood.

I silently cursed myself. I had lost every member of my family. Nothing should look beautiful.

"We'll get them back."

I guessed Courage must have guessed what I was thinking. _Or,_ I thought, _he was reading my thoughts using that weird telepathic connection-thing._

_The former_, came a voice in my head.

_Just then you weren't, _I argued.

_But before I actually talked, I was just guessing. You're pretty easy to read._

He had a point. People always said I was an open book - just like Percy.

"We will find them." He turned to face me.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because you're an open book, like I said," he replied. "You seem like a loyal person. Maybe too loyal." He frowned. "You're brave. You took on a group of Laistrygonians all by yourself!"

"Laistry-what?"

"Laistrygonians." Courage was patient. He didn't get angry at how clueless I was.

"In English?" I asked.

Courage thought for a moment. "Canadians," he decided. "And you really are an open book."

"Are you sure you weren't just reading my mind?"

"Well..." Courage grinned. It didn't seem to fit right with his outfit. I knew I recognized him. I just couldn't place it.

"You were, weren't you?" I accused.

"Maybe." He grinned again. His grin slid off his face as he remembered the reason for our conversation. "But, I swear it on the River Styx, we will find them, no matter what it takes."

Thunder rumbled across the clear sky. Even I knew the importance of an oath on the River Styx.

"You, me, and whoever else wants to help," Courage finished.

"Thanks," I said, giving him a small smile. I was grateful for his oath, though I knew that it could get him killed. I was grateful that he believed in me. But most importantly, I was grateful that he was prepared to help me save my family, even though we had only met last night.

"You're welcome."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he'd read my thoughts.

"Is there any way you can possibly, I don't know, maybe not listen to my thoughts every single second?" I asked, slightly teasingly.

"If there is, I haven't figured it out yet," Courage responded. "And I doubt you have, either." He grinned again.

He had a point. His thoughts were lingering softly at the back of my mind, not as loud as my own thoughts, but loud enough that I could hear them.

"Okay," Annabeth said, walking out of a nearby building. "Chiron is ready to hear your stories."

I knew he would be. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to tell it.

**So? What did you think? Like? Dislike?**

**Please review! The next chapter will be dedicated to whoever can guess who their parents are! Or, if no one gets them all correct, the first reviewer!**


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